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Post by Lance Uppercut on Jun 23, 2022 2:47:15 GMT -5
Wwe is usually super trademark happy (hence the really stupid name changes) and super stingy about other companies using an even vaguely similar name.
How is buddy Mathew’s still Buddy? They trademarked Murphy but not Buddy?
Malakai Allistair Black
Ruby time to Riott Soho
Trent?
Swerve Don’t call him Shane (Or isiah Scott) Strickland
William (not Steven?) regal
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Post by eJm on Jun 23, 2022 3:01:43 GMT -5
Simply depends on what's worth trademarking since names aren't exactly major things to keep for the long term.
With Ruby Soho, one of the things in her favour is that Rancid (or likely the record label they're on), owns the name Ruby Soho for the song and since they're the ones that said she could use the name, they could go "Well, this is like the time in Community someone was named Subway by Subway".
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Post by I'm Team Bayley and Indi on Jun 23, 2022 3:04:01 GMT -5
I think Regal trademarked William Regal earlier this year
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Post by Jacy Derangement Syndrome on Jun 23, 2022 3:08:51 GMT -5
That's not Rhino that's Rhyno
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Post by eJm on Jun 23, 2022 3:10:32 GMT -5
I think Regal trademarked William Regal earlier this year Think that's just how some of these are, trademarks lapse and it ain't exactly a lawyer's priority to keep them if there's not a major use. With Regal, he wasn't exactly going to be on TV so why keep the trademark? It's different from Keith Lee, for example, who got his at one point I think last year? |
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Post by Jacy Derangement Syndrome on Jun 23, 2022 3:36:51 GMT -5
Sidenote I'm so glad Billy Gunn got the ownership to his name cause I don't think there's even been a name copyright fiasco as bad (other than the Cody thing lol) as when he went to TNA as The New Age Outlaw AKA The Outlaw AKA You Know Who That Is for something like a month or two. Dude literally had to wear a shirt that said YOU ALREADY KNOW WHO I AM cause they couldn't say his name. All that trouble to be Kip James.
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Post by This Player Hating Mothman on Jun 23, 2022 4:59:05 GMT -5
WWE hasn't really come down much on people using similar names because there's only so much you can do when someone changes their names. You can't pursue someone for having a stage name where the last name is Black, and 'Alistair' and 'Malakai' might be thematically similar, but they are super distinct names as far as the IP courts would be concerned. It's just not worth trying to chase litigation on those because they won't really win, and the cost of doing so with how many people they've cut lately would be an absolute misery.
Very specifically, WWE owns the trademark for 'Isaiah "Swerve" Scott'. They can nail that down. If he ran around as Swerve Scott? Absolutely it'd be a problem. But he's not. He's "Swerve" Strickland. Shane Strickland is his legal name, he has plenty of proof he's gone by Swerve before WWE, and WWE didn't nail down the use of Swerve itself as a nickname. They nailed down 'Isaiah "Swerve" Scott'. WWE doesn't really have the authority within what they have to go for that, and they'd have a hard time proving that Swerve Strickland and 'Isaiah "Swerve" Scott' are so similar that it infringes on what they own. It'd be wasted resources and it'd give WWE an actually kinda bad name.
It opens WWE up to a whole lot of problems and possibilities in case anyone decides to bite back. IPs are a funny thing because you do have to defend them to keep them, but if you're going to defend them too frivolously, you're going to piss off judges and risk ending up fined or having your lawyers sanctioned. It's not worth chasing people down because of an epithet they don't have total ownership of because that's a good way to hurt yourself down the line if you're perceived as lashing out at just anyone and everyone. Got to pick your battles.
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Post by Can you afford to pay me, Gah on Jun 23, 2022 7:39:48 GMT -5
Wwe is usually super trademark happy (hence the really stupid name changes) and super stingy about other companies using an even vaguely similar name. How is buddy Mathew’s still Buddy? They trademarked Murphy but not Buddy? Malakai Allistair Black Ruby time to Riott Soho Trent? Swerve Don’t call him Shane (Or isiah Scott) Strickland William (not Steven?) regal It depends on the name and how the said wrestler name was trademarked. Some cases a wrestler may owned the trademarks for a name before the went to WWE or jumped on it before WWE did when the renewal came up. A lot of these where NXT HHH era where the trademarking and full on name changes in the WWE wasn't as much as a thing as now. Also single regularly used names for people can't be trademarked really. Like you can own the name Jeff and be the only Jeff in the world kind of thing. So Buddy as a name itself Likely couldn't trademark but The name Buddy Murphy could be in the WWE. But Buddy Mathews a name he never was called or used in WWE, WWE can't do anything about. Cody issue was WWE owned the full name Cody Rhodes for a while. How? Mistake on Cody. Ruby alone can't be trademark but Ruby Soho the band owned but the band came to her and asked if she wanted to use it and the song. There is a whole video interview if that taken place. Trent? because WWE owned Trent Barenta. But nothing could stop him from being Trent? Shane Strickland is his real name and his name on the indies and so is Swerve itself. So since he could prove that and how likely owned it before WWE. That's why. Thats also why Christian is Christian Cage because when he left for TNA years ago, he couldn't call himself just Christian because wwe had a trademark on Christian (used solo) but he saw that Christian Cage was available and he took it as that name was one of his early indies names before WWE. There are a lot of loopholes if you go into it based on what was and wasn't trademarked and spelling if a world. Like Rhino or Rhyno. Taz or Tazz are a couple examples. There a whole thing in 05 on the Dudleyz because ECW. The Dudleyz thought they owned the name. It turned out they didn't when they left because when Heyman sold ECW to Vince. The names where in it, Same went for Justin Credible and someone else. So thats how they went to the whole Team 3D stuff and got around it because Brother Ray and brother Devon and not D-von. Was different trademarks. |
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Post by 06vwgti on Jun 23, 2022 8:28:04 GMT -5
Lol Trent Barreta or Trent Berreta.
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Post by YAKMAN is ICHIBAN on Jun 23, 2022 8:42:45 GMT -5
Lol Trent Barreta or Trent Berreta. Missed the boat to cash in on The Expanse and be Trent Beratna. |
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Post by eJm on Jun 23, 2022 8:51:10 GMT -5
The best comparison would be like if any former comic book artists got sued by Disney or Warner Bros for drawing and making money from characters they don't own on Artists Alleys. Like, would they have a case? Absolutely. But at the same time, what would they get from it? A PR headache, barely anything from settlements (if it doesn't just end from the C&D letter) and a terrible precedence sent to people who might want to work there. It's not something desirable.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2022 8:56:27 GMT -5
Sidenote I'm so glad Billy Gunn got the ownership to his name cause I don't think there's even been a name copyright fiasco as bad (other than the Cody thing lol) as when he went to TNA as The New Age Outlaw AKA The Outlaw AKA You Know Who That Is for something like a month or two. Dude literally had to wear a shirt that said YOU ALREADY KNOW WHO I AM cause they couldn't say his name. All that trouble to be Kip James. Never forget  |
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Post by Fake Jesus on Jun 23, 2022 10:30:25 GMT -5
I honestly wonder if WWE didn't just tacitly OK Regal trademarking that. It's absolutely weird to see a guy just going by his WWE name on a different tv show and he's done enough for them that I could see Vince just going 'what the hell pal, why not'
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Post by Chris Hammers on Jun 23, 2022 11:07:23 GMT -5
Isn't it that trademark lawyer Jericho started using, just started calling WWE out on their BS, and WWE basically decided not to fight it.
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Post by Hypnosis on Jun 23, 2022 21:19:02 GMT -5
Sidenote I'm so glad Billy Gunn got the ownership to his name cause I don't think there's even been a name copyright fiasco as bad (other than the Cody thing lol) as when he went to TNA as The New Age Outlaw AKA The Outlaw AKA You Know Who That Is for something like a month or two. Dude literally had to wear a shirt that said YOU ALREADY KNOW WHO I AM cause they couldn't say his name. All that trouble to be Kip James. Never forget Billy's a Nine Inch Nails fan? |
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Post by Wieners=$$$ on Jun 23, 2022 21:21:38 GMT -5
That's not Rhino that's Rhyno What's Ryano doing on Elevation? |
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Post by Wieners=$$$ on Jun 23, 2022 21:26:31 GMT -5
Never forget Billy's a Nine Inch Nails fan? If only his catchphrase was, "You get me closer to Gunn!" |
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Post by A Platypus Rave on Jun 23, 2022 21:27:25 GMT -5
I honestly wonder if WWE didn't just tacitly OK Regal trademarking that. It's absolutely weird to see a guy just going by his WWE name on a different tv show and he's done enough for them that I could see Vince just going 'what the hell pal, why not' Besides being seen as a potential thank you to Regal... (and maybe not pissing Danielson off in the process) they also realized he would just show up as Steven Regal anyway since he used that name before he was employed by WCW let alone the WWF. |
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Post by Cyno on Jun 23, 2022 21:29:22 GMT -5
Usually, WWE trademarks whole names of their workers. I don't think just trademarking "Buddy" or "Black" would fly in most cases since they're way too generic.
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Post by Oh Cry Me a Screwball on Jun 23, 2022 23:26:27 GMT -5
Sidenote I'm so glad Billy Gunn got the ownership to his name cause I don't think there's even been a name copyright fiasco as bad (other than the Cody thing lol) as when he went to TNA as The New Age Outlaw AKA The Outlaw AKA You Know Who That Is for something like a month or two. Dude literally had to wear a shirt that said YOU ALREADY KNOW WHO I AM cause they couldn't say his name. All that trouble to be Kip James. Let's not forget there was some sort of trouble with the Billy Gunn name in the early days of AEW. For a while, his full name was just Billy, and he was doing the exact same shit that Cody was doing. "Billy and Austin Gunn." "Billy of the Gunn Club." |
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